Tamil Nadu to Puskar

The day arrived and it was our turn to leave. This was my second departure from this magic place but I had Dan and Roni for company so it did not feel lonely but I was a bit sad none the less. I was not thinking about the mammoth four day journey that lay ahead. we had booked by sleeper bus as the trains were fully booked until the end of February. We left in the evening and sat and slept and listened to our headphones and watched an episode of the history of India and tried to sleep. In the morning we had a couple of hours in Bangalore and said a sad goodbye to Roni. We got on our next bus this time a full sleeper and settled in to our small cabin on our next leg of the journey to Mumbai.
we both slept well and arrived in Mumbai ready for a day of fun as our next bus left in the evening we had the day to kill. I took Dan straight to Colaba as I had been there before and knew it was not a bad place to spend the day. We did a few necessities and found ourselves in a bakery stopping for a coke and a cake where the name just happened to be Gaylords Bakery. and the coke alone cost me ninety six rupees. We soon found ourselves in Leopold's drinking draught beer. Before we knew it it was time for our next bus to some place called Amadabad where we arrived in the morning and caught a rickshaw with a driver who didn't know the way and got us to the station just on time.
Our last bit was only a few hours. I have not managed to fit in the bit about the bus that smashed it's front window in the middle of the night because thankfully I can't remember which one it was. This pales into insignificance with a story two English girls later told me about a bus accident they were in where a guy was killed and his head was all over the place. I've been lucky so far.
Finally and most importantly we arrived in Udaipur in good spirits and then we found our hotel, Minerva. Bloody paradise! Marble floors and stairs, hot showers and a view over the whole lake and CLEAN! thank god we thought.
We settled down and met people easily and soon had a nice group of people we hung out with and did stuff like hiring a jeep and riding all day to see a temple and an old fort. Don't get me wrong I love seeing stuff but there are so many temples here I feel OK to skip a few by now.
The vibe in the city was noticeably more relaxed than other places and we enjoyed walking around. Dan is an inspiration when it comes to trying local food and I have seen him literally chase a man with his wagon to try his food and it was bloody good by the way. What was it I hear you ask. Couldn't tell you but I loved it.
With the group we met in Udaipur we did the cookery course which was interesting but long and we were all glad to finish. I plan to do another one but more hands on next time. I learn 't a lot about their spices and how to combine them so it was worthwhile.
We had a nice mix of nationalities and so after a week or so we moved to our next stop. Jasilmer and knew a few were joining us.
Waiting for the bus to take us I met Emma and Angela. Hearing English I having just noticed a shop selling Hobnobs felt it was a good conversation starter. We all got on and chatted. They stayed in the first guest house but Dan and I had energy to look for another place as neither of us liked the place. There are guest houses built into the wall of the fort and we found one with a great view and a good chill out spot. OK and happy we settled in.
We told the girls where we were and then bought some vodka and finished three bottles. Gotta love the English and their alcohol consumption.
Day one we went to the sports stadium and watched a camel show, a Mr. Desert competition and some dancing with some of the funniest English commentary I have heard. It began to get hot so we retired to the cool shaded guest house and relaxed late into the evening with the view of the city and all the goings on below us.
Adrian and Heather an English couple we had met joined us with Riaan who we also met in Udaipur and oh, by the way it just happened to be a three day desert festival at the same time. We were wandering down the road and they were passing in a rickshaw and stopped to pick us up with Dan hanging on the outside yelling at the driver not to kill him.
We were watching a polo game on camels and then there was a skydive display and then we all had enough and went to party again.
We had all decided to spend a night in the desert so we organized to be taken into the desert, watch the camel racing and sleep there with a camel ride in the morning.
Out came the vodka and some home made cookies and we had a blast. I woke up at about five AM and froze for a coupe of hours.
In the morning I got up and chai was being brewed. I adore chai and it is an integral part of my morning. Especially after freezing in a desert. As I was waiting one of the Indians organizing things was screaming into his mobile so I scowled at him and put my hand to my lips to indicate silence. He moved off a few feet and carried on yelling. I said SHUT UP! So he moved another couple of feet away and was practically standing in a bush still screaming so I yelled at him telling him I would throw his phone into the desert. Riaan then said if I didn't like it I should move. She might as well have thrown boiling oil over me so poor girl got "don't be so bloody English!" and I terrified the Indian who gave me a wide berth for the rest of the morning. I drank my chai and looked at the desert in peace.
We were made a kind of porridge and I tried to eat something. It tasted like a mix of bread and coco pops but I managed a few mouthfuls. While we were eating the camels arrived and I sussed mine out and climbed on.
I loved it as the camel was so used to people and easy to steer so I soon asked if I could steer It myself and did for the rest of the trip.
We ended at a gallop which was a lot of fun but after three hours or so I was happy it was over. No wonder the Bedouins are off their faces on opium tea most of the time.
Back at he guest house I was exhausted and had an early night as we were off the next day to Pushkar on another overnight bus.
By now the familiar feeling of depression as the group was about to split and the excitement for the next chapter was spinning around inside me. I consoled myself with the thought I would hopefully see most of them again on the trip. Dan and I were soon alone again and off on our next trip.
I may be known for a bit of a temper from time to time but on this bus trip it was Dan's turn. The bus itself was fine and we had our sleeper but the bus soon became unbearably full of Indians obviously paying a pittance in comparison to us and the proceeds obviously finding their way into the drivers pocket. We could not move in the passageway and Dan was let's say rather unhappy about life at this point. I see things a little differently so I try and be all British like and say excuse me but if ignored I try one more time to ease my conscience then unheard I jumped on the guy. I think he then understood he needed to get out of the way.